Posted!

Join the Conversation

Comments

Welcome to our new and improved comments, which are for subscribers only.
This is a test to see whether we can improve the experience for you.
You do not need a Facebook profile to participate.

You will need to register before adding a comment.
Typed comments will be lost if you are not logged in.

Please be polite.
It's OK to disagree with someone's ideas, but personal attacks, insults, threats, hate speech, advocating violence and other violations can result in a ban.
If you see comments in violation of our community guidelines, please report them.

Regarding the ProPublica article on dark money published Wednesday in The Arizona Republic:

Every voting citizen should be thoroughly outraged with all the manipulation of our elections over the past years by dark money and by those individuals who think they have a right to buy our future. The article exposed just how insidious, dangerous and far-reaching big money has become to the elective process and the will of the people.

We need to be angry and work for changes soon.

I am grateful to The Arizona Republic and ProPublica reporters Kim Barker and Theodoric Meyer for their efforts. I shall be expecting much more to come.

— Barbara Carpenter,

Phoenix

Koch brothers obeying the law

Thanks to the efforts of Kim Barker and Theodoric Meyer of ProPublica, we are aware that the Koch brothers are legally practicing their rights to influence Arizona politics (Republic, Wednesday).

Since 1968, a coalition of the unions, the NAACP, NOW, the NEA, environmentalists and other smaller political-action groups has legally contributed and has been represented in Arizona politics. The Koch brothers are active in Arizona because of the increase of California liberal interests the past 20 years in Arizona politics.

— Rick Plaskett,

Mesa

Light-rail links in Valley limited

In the Viewpoints Sunday column about Hance Park in Phoenix, the authors say light rail successfully links our urban core with other communities within the Valley. This is only partially true.

The only communities that are linked to central Phoenix by light rail are the East Valley communities of Mesa and Tempe. The West Valley does not have this convenience, nor do any other surrounding communities.

— Barbara Snow,

Litchfield Park

Bill reining in EPA is important

I applaud Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., for co-sponsoring an important bill that, if enacted, would make the Environmental Protection Agency more accountable and transparent to the American people.

This common-sense measure, known as the Secret Science Reform Act of 2014, would ban the EPA from proposing, finalizing or disseminating new rules without disclosing the scientific rationale for doing so.

Over the past several years, the EPA has repeatedly used non-transparent data and unverifiable claims to implement policies. The practice has been widely criticized by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as the American people.

Regulations should be based on publicly available data so that independent scientists can verify the EPA’s claims. I urge lawmakers from both parties to support this bill so that the public can better understand how the EPA makes far-reaching decisions that affect us all.

— Effie Carlson, Scottsdale

Column on job demands naive

It’s all very well for Christine Baldwin to advise employees, “Don’t give in to unreasonable employer demands” (Opinions, Monday).

Arizona workers should be aware, however, that they reside in an “at will” state, where one can be fired “for any reason or for no reason,” including informing a supervisor that they have been given too much to do.

In Arizona, “ask(ing) for what you want” or acting “bold” and “courageous” can easily lead to being unemployed.